Sunday, November 13, 2005

Snaps in a snap

Fresh ginger root is one of those foods where you need just a little but have to buy a lot (celery, parsley and plain yogurt also fall into this category--at least in my cooking world). The curry I made on Friday night called for ginger, but of course a decent chunk of root remained in my fridge.

Therefore, in an attempt at resourcefulness, I decided to try making gingersnaps with the ginger before it became a green moldy lump in my crisper. I shredded the ginger, which resulted in a somewhat stringy mess. In the spirit of experimentation, I tossed it in, and the cookies turned out fine, though some have a few strings sticking straight up. The recipe I adapted called for honey instead of molasses, and though I was skeptical at first, it turned out to be a nice twist.

2) Using an electric mixer, cream the butter. Beat in the sugar to mix, then the egg, then the honey, and then the fresh ginger. Mixing on a slow speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, scraping the bowl with a spatula as you go. Beat only until thoroughly mixed.

3) Using a teaspoon, place the dough on the baking sheets. Bake until cookies are uniformly brown, about 12-13 minutes. You may have to bake multiple batches. Transfer cookies to racks to cool.